page_title: Makrellbekken (station)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Makrellbekken (station) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Makrellbekken Station on the Røa Line in Oslo.
context_page_description: Makrellbekken is a rapid transit station of the Oslo Metro's Røa Line. It is situated in the neighborhood of Makrellbekken in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. Located 5.4 kilometers from Stortinget, the station is served by Line 2 of the metro, normally with a fifteen-minute headway. Travel time to Stortinget is 10 minutes.
  The station opened on 24 January 1935 as part of the extension of the Røa Line to Røa. At Makrellbekken the Røa Line passes under Sørkedalsveien, which it has followed since Volvat. The station received a major upgrade in 1995, in which the station was lowered below the road, replacing a level crossing.
context_section_description: Makrellbekken and the surroundings neighborhoods were opened for housing construction during the 1920s. This caught the interest of Akersbanerne, who had built the Røa Line (then known as the Smestad Line) along Sørkedalsveien to Smestad in 1912. Makrellbekken initially proposed an extension to Makrellbekken and received permission for this on 26 May 1933. A major controversy was related to the line crossing Sørkedalsveien. Many motorists and local residents feared that a level crossing would be hazardous. At Smestad the line had to be built in a cutting to pass under Ullernchauséen. This approach was not chosen at Makrellbakken.
  Construction started in 1933. By then Akersbanerne was struggling financially and was taken over by Holmenkolbanen. The latter proposed that the construction be extended further westwards all the way to Røa. Government approval was granted on 29 June 1934 and construction started immediately. The whole 2.9-kilometer (1.8 mi) extension opened on 24 January 1935. The station was named for the creek of Makrellbekken which runs along the track onwards to Holmen.
  The new line was initially not profitable, because Schøyens Bilcentraler had kept its concession to operate buses in the area. Not until the break-out of the Second World War was the bus route terminated. The section from Makrellbekken to Røa had initially been built with single track. This was upgraded to double track on 6 July 1939, at which time an overrun track was also installed. A level crossing with Sørkedalsveien was completed on 15 December.
  SK Njård opened its indoor arena Njårdhallen in 1960. At the time it was the largest indoor arena in the Nordic Countries. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s it remained a major concert venue for Oslo. Thereafter it became too small for larger events. Extra trains were in the period common in conjunction with sports- and music events in the hall.
  The connection of the eastern and western metro network in the early 1990s meant that the Røa Line was to be upgrades to metro standard. This meant that platforms were to be extended to 110 meters (360 ft) to allow six-car metro trains. In addition to a complete renovation of the tracks, this meant that the overhead wires were replaced with a third rail. This could not be combined with a level crossing. The right-of-way was therefore lowered past Makrellbekken and Sørkedalsveien placed on an overpass over the tracks and station. This requiring several hundred meters of the line to be rebuilt.
caption: Tram calling at Makrellbekken during the opening year of 1935
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